Darklight
by Hills-to-Sky
Summary: 100 Years after Danger Rising From Below. Follow Artemis Jones DeAngelo as she uncovers the truth behind the lies keeping the last remaining Slugterranean citizens trapped in a huge cavern they now call home. Warning: Fanon, potential sleuth spoilers for Danger Rising From below and gore. And cussing.
1. Chapter 1: Starts

The dust swirled off the thick cover of the book, exposing its thick and heavy leather cover emblazoned with dull copper swirls all joining in the middle to create the five pointed star.  
>The Mark of the Council.<br>Tan young hands trembled as they picked the book up and out of its tomb in a heavy mushroom-wood chest and placed it upon a pedestal  
>The ancient artifact creaked softly as the cover was opened and the warm light from a slug lamp was bathed upon the pristine white pages, brittled by time and age. For the first time in a hundred years, forbidden eyes laid their sight on the elegant words labelling the pristine paper.<p>

'The Battle for Slugterra: witnessed and recorded by the great scribe Pronto Geronimole'

Young turquoise eyes flashed with curiousity until a voice rang out through the dusty basement air.  
>"Artemis! What is taking you so long? My glasses are just on the bench next to the life-sized model of a Fandango!"<p>

Artemis flinched at the voice and hurridly set the thick book back in the chest, accidentally getting her thumb caught as the heavy lid shut.  
>"OW!" She yelped, taking to steps backwards and backing up into the wrong end of a morphed Dirt Urchin model.<br>"AH!" She yelled as plastic spines jabbed her in the back. As she reached back to rub her aches, she managed to whack her elbow against the solid bookshelf.  
>As the pain slowly crept her arm she hissed and stopped moving, just waiting for the pain to pass.<br>"Ow, ow, ow, ow.." she whimpered to herself as she slowly made her way over to the Fandango statue and grabbed the glasses, already coated with fresh dust.  
>Her back complained quietly as she walked up the stairs and back into the town library.<br>Librarian Felicity was patiently waiting at the stairs and her wrinkled old face broke into a smile as Artemis emerged, glasses in hand.  
>"Oh, thank you dear! I can't believe I left them down there! Especially with this bad back of mine! You're so helpful..."<br>Artemis flushed and handed her the glasses, "I-it was nothing..." she mumbled, sticking her hands in her jeans pockets and allowing her side fringe to cover half her face. Her eyes flicked from side to side to make sure no-one was watching her.  
>"Nonsense! You're the most helpful young one I've known! But what took you so long?"<br>Artemis jumped at the question, "Wha-I-the-please don't tell-!"  
>Felicity let out a sly wink, "Got sidetracked by all the old things down in there? I'm not surprised! I would too, if I could get down there."<br>Artemis let out a relieved sigh, " Yeah..something like that...uh, Mrs Veil? I need to g-"  
>"Ah, yes. You need to be off! Righto! See you tomorrow after school, hmm?"<br>Artemis turned and nodded, a quiet smile on her face, "Bye Mrs Veil"  
>Mrs Veil waved good bye before turning to help another person.<br>Artemis reached behind the issuing desk and grabbed her bag, smiling goodbye to Mr Drear who gave her a nod back.  
>Swinging her school bag over her shoulder, she walked out the doors, taking one last breath of library air before stepping out on the dirt road.<br>Many people were walking along the road edge, staying close to the white and blue spherical buildings while docile mecha beasts loped down the middle of the road, their riders looking bored.  
>Artemis stuck close to the stone walls of the buildings as men in suits and groups of teenagers washed past, oblivious to her existence. With stone walls on one side and an endless stream of people on the other, Artemis started to struggle to breath. Nothing serious, just an annoying habit.<br>Ducking down a side street, she started to breath easier. She knewcthis street well and eventually she emerged on a well used path that wound up a small hill, leading to what was known as The Council Plateau.  
>Few people were on the path and Artemis stopped to take in the view once she reached the top, like she did every day.<br>The whole City of Sasha spread out beneath her. Glimmering white buildings flashed and sparkled in the City center, yet quailty deteriorated the further out you looked. The homes at the city edge were barely livable and were extremely crammed. It was said you could die from suffocation if you spent to long in the streets.  
>Tearing her eyes from Sasha, she spied the other two Cities: Trixie, over by the far side of the bowl shaped cavern, where the sides were jagged cliffs and uneven terrain.<br>Trixie was a crazy city. Races? Casinos? Shops? Entertainment? Go to Trixe. It plenty of both, legal and otherwise. Even from here, she could see the neon lights flashing as the cavern roof-lights dimmed to dusk and the stronger arena lights from the Mecha Racecourse and the Slingers Arena.  
>Trixie was the place where you could get dirt on anyone and had the most drama.<br>The dangerous cliff faces it was built under attracted huge amounts of thrill seekers as more and more contest opened up. No path was ever the same when climbing the RedHead Drop. Climbers weight often sent rocks tumbling down, changing the face of the cliff constantly. The ultimate thrill seeker challenge.  
>They had every sport happening there with huge ferocity. It was said the first week in Trixie, you never slept.<p>

The other city, known as Smelter City was the industrial city. A long waterfall that spouted directly out of the curved cavern sides landed directly in the city centre, a huge hydro-electricity station had been built there. It was so big, it provided the whole cavern with power.  
>Even here, Artemis could make out the huge chimneys spouting huge clouds of steam out over the dull gray buildings. A thick smog hung over the city, the smoke and gas from numerous factories contributing, yet the smog wasn't toxic. The Council had seen to that.<br>If you ever wanted to see Boon Docs in action, go to Smelter. They stopped any toxic fumes escaping by purifying them.  
>Smelters main residents were Cave Trolls along with a few scientists and humanoid creatures. If you wanted something, go to Smelter. They could fix or build anything.<br>Yet the Council had put laws in place, recommendations for what they were allowed to build.  
>Mecha beasts were said to have half the power they used to have and blasters too. Anything that could be a weapon wasn't allowed so every piece of furniture was rounded, made of curves and spheres.<br>There were many more but Artemis could not think about them just yet.  
>Turning back around she headed towards the Council Plateau, leaving Sasha, the City of Heritage, behind. Artemis considered herself lucky to live close to Sasha, with its ancient architecture and huge wells of knowledge. She loved to read about the history of the Cavern she lived in.<br>It was called Healer Springs and had once been a quiet healers village.  
>She guessed it had stayed that way because she couldn't find anything else after that.<br>It was the world she lived in and the only one she knew of.  
>She emerged from behind a large fern and walked out into the main courtyard of the Council Plateau.<br>She loved the architecture here, the Japanese gateways and the spiraling rock formations hidden in lush green bush high above the crowded streets of Sasha. It was the only place she knew that had more decorations than buildings.  
>The stone steps that led up to this high sanctuary were hard work, but Artemis had been climbing those steps for years and they gave her no problem. She was fitter than she thought.<br>Everyday she stopped and stared at the single building on the Plateau; The Council building, shaped like a treasure chest with a dome directly above the center. Carved out of white marble, the dome had a blue circle in the middle, that cast a blue glow out over the courtyard. A white flag emblazoned with the orange star flew above the building.  
>Large wooden double-doors opened up to reveal a luxurious foyer.<br>Artemis, walked up the stone steps and inside, wiping her feet on a rug before stepping in on the red carpet.  
>She kept her head low and took a seat in one of the waiting seats, her blue bag placed beside her.<br>Like usual, she cast her eyes around the room while she waited for her mother.  
>The usual palm tree in the pot next to the tinted window, the normal maroon wallpaper and the same desk clerk sitting behind the oaken behemoth that was branded with the Council Star.<br>Above the desk and on the wall was a painting that had entertained Artemis for many years as she sat and waited.  
>Artemis loved the painting.<p>

It was an image of the Six Council Members charging forward on their Battle-Mechas, blasters drawn and loyal soldiers following them on their own.  
>The Honourable Elijah and Elina Shane were in the middle, mounted on their wolf mechas and blasters held in unsion. Each had their True Slugs, an Infurnace on their shoulders.<br>Artemis agreed that they both represented Infurnaces. They were both kind yet strict and just.  
>On either side of them were, Michael Jones and Nicole Blakk. Both on their own mechas.<br>These two had a darker shade to them, Artemis had noticed the paint used for them was darker even though Nicole was as white as snow with jet-black hair.  
>She was a beauty, that Nicole.<br>Michael also had longer blond hair that was hanging down, unlike he had now.  
>Artemis felt a pang of jealousy as she stared at her fathers young face on the painting. She remembered him stopping in the foyer and putting an arm around her brother, Lucas, shoulder and pointing up at the painting to where he was mounted on the mecha beast with his blaster loaded.<br>"That'll be you one day." he had said those exact words with such comfort and compassion towards his son, Artemis just wanted to sink into the ground.  
>Her father never spoke to her like that. He didn't even look at her.<br>He only cared about his son and his gift with mecha beasts.  
>Only Lucas and Violet, her mother, talked to her, and even then, only Lucas seemed to care.<br>Artemis tried to shove the thoughts aside and focus on the soldiers in the painting.  
>To the left was the senile bastard from the care-home. Harper Pine.<br>But this was when she was younger, in her prime. She was riding her huge T-Rex mecha, that was now a centre piece for Smelter City as she was too old to ride it and didn't want anyone else to touch it.  
>On her shoulder, she hoisted a huge Cannon blaster. Artemis hadn't believed that she could lift it, until Harper had demonstrated by lifting up her couch and lifting it up on her shoulder.<br>The matrons had freaked out and instantly told her to put it down, which she did with a dry old chuckle, before flopping down, her long grey plait coiled up next to her.  
>Artemis had been amazed. Not only was Miss Pine a strong old woman but she could spin a great tale! Artemis always joined the younger ones when it was story night at the acre home. Old and young people loved to hear Harpers delusional tales of a larger world as she sat in her old armchair with Mr Bibbles by her side.<p>

On the right side were the two Neons Twins, Aqua and Ruby. Both of their faces were set into a cheeky smirk as the loaded their blasters.  
>Now, they were in charge of the Neon Law Enforcement or NLE. Artemis never saw them, their HQ was based in Trixie. They were merciless and the only reason that Trixie hadn't been burnt to the ground by trigger happy arsonists and other criminals.<br>She often saw their faces on the bill boards, both wore the standard blue/black uniform with the Council badge pinned to their lapel.  
>Each time they had spoke about how good citizens wouldn't be punished, but it was common knowledge that their words had an underlying tone.<br>'If you do a bad thing, we will find you...and fuck you up' That was the gist anyway.  
>It worked too. Their was little or no crime in other cities and Trixie wasn't that bad anyway.<br>But Artemis had a feeling that the rot in Trixie went deeper than they thought.  
>It always did in detective films.<p>

Surrounding the outside of the two main fighters were many minor soldiers, painted their to fill space.  
>But what Artemis didn't understand was the gap.<br>The gap between the Neons and Harper, it was just painted background showing the blackened ground of the battlefield, yet something was missing there.  
>Artemis knew she couldn't possibly know, but she believed it.<p>

The familiar creak of her mothers office door reached her ears and she glanced up.  
>Her mother emerged, in deep conversation with Nicole Blakk, the Slug Energy Expert and spokesperson for the Shadowclan.<br>Artemis was secretly glad that Violet and Nicole looked alike.  
>Both had glossy and luxurious black hair and smooth, unblemished skin.<br>Nicole had intelligent dark purple eyes while Violet had cold and smoky purple eyes.  
>They were often mistaken for sisters, except Nicole was far older than a normal person.<br>All the Council members were.  
>Nicole was dressed in a bright red t-shirt and scuffed jeans making her appear younger than she looked.<br>Artemis's mother was dressed in a thick black coat and jeans, arms crossed over her chest.  
>Violet Jones deAngelo, wife to Michael Jones deAngelo and one of the best looking women in Sasha.<br>Mother to Lucas and Artemis Jones deAngelo, Violet was constantly complaining about how big a handful they were, with her husband being too busy with his work.  
>But in truth, Lucas and Artemis were very well behaved and obedient.<br>Lucas was polite and level headed with his mother, when he was present though.  
>Most of the time he was off screwing around with mechas or his group of friends.<br>Artemis didn't have any friends, except maybe the librarians but they couldn't really count

Together, mother and daughter rode home on Violets mecha as the lights dimmed in the Cavern, the shadows that hid high up in the solid cavern roof sliding down to engulf the solitary cavern.  
>The empty spaces of foliage were soon engulfed in the gloom yet each City had it's own defense.<br>Trixie, of course, was a rainbow of neon signs and fireworks. Smelter had harsh worklights beaming down and flashing yellow and red lights.  
>Sasha was a soft sprinkling of city lights, easy on the eyes. Even in the poorer part of town there was a soft light.<br>Artemis always enjoyed the view and had once tried to point it out to her mother but had just been scolded for distracting her.  
>Neither of them spoke on their way home, they never did, and Artemis watched the ground between her dangling feet as she sat on the back of the mecha while her mother rode in the comfortable saddle.<br>Artemis watched a rock pass by and began counting down in her head.  
>3,2,1...<br>The mecha stopped and Artemis hopped off and started down her house driveway while her mother continued onward towards her husbands work.  
>It was the same everyday.<br>Artemis went to their modest home, set up the fire, cooked dinner then changed and had a shower. Then she would do her homework and relax until her parents came home.  
>Lucas was staying at Marcus Smiths place for the week so Artemis was all alone.<br>Again.  
>And for the third time in a week, her phone rang.<br>It was her mother, she would be coming home late.  
>So Artemis banked the fire up, ate her dinner and went to bed in her empty house...<br>Again.  
>Well, she didn't have anything else to do. She didn't have any slugs or a mecha beast. Nopets or friends to talk too.<br>She didn't excell at anything at school and she had no hobbies except the library but that would be closed by now.  
>As she stripped into her pajamas she stopped and looked at herself in the mirror before turning away.<br>She was physically well toned from walking everywhere yet she didn't acknowledge her body.  
>She always dressed in baggy clothes, wore nothing to revealing or fancy.<br>She was literally the girl that nobody noticed.

But she didn't mind. She liked the peace and quiet. No nosy friends. No problems with figuring out what to wear. No hassles with setting up events or get-togethers. Even the silence in the house was nice. No loud noises from the garage also known as the 'Lucas Zone'.  
>Or her mother yelling at her because she didn't cook the meat right.<br>The peace and quiet let her thoughts flow free.  
>As she lay in her bed and closed her eyes, they swarmed forward.<br>They too, were all the same.

'Is there a pop quiz tomorrow?'  
>'Will Lucas finish my very own mecha beast?'<br>'I wonder what Trixie or Smelters' like?'  
>'Will I ever read that book?'<br>'What was The Battle for Slugterra?'

With the familiar thoughts whiling round her head, she eventually slipped into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Explanatory Hate

Darklight  
>Chapter Two:<p>

Soft green light woke Artemis up and she yawned and moaned as she snuggled deeper into her duvet. She still had half an hour before her alarm went off and she had to get up and prepare herself for school.  
>But as her eyes opened and met the dull grey ceiling she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.<br>The air wasn't cold enough to stay in bed and the small breeze that snuck through her loose window would ward off any further hope of sleep.

Artemis rubbed her face slowly and pushed the blanket off, swinging her legs outwards and stretching her arms.  
>She yawned and stood up, shuffling around the room and gathering up her choice in clothes off the floor.<p>

The house was silent as she turned the shower on and fed the household slugs in the kitchen.

Slugs were a common site in households even though records Artemis had read showed that their numbers were declining. A house without slugs was considered an unworthy construction as house owners didn't buy or choose slugs; the slugs chose them.  
>The slugs were the equivalence of power in a house. With their numerous abilities the slugs heated water, powered appliances, cleaned and dusted saving humans the work and time that humans could better spend making gadgets that could cut a slugs workload in half by storing the specific types of energy a slug had and then adapting appliances to use these energy-storages instead of slugs.<br>The humans also gave slugs shelter, food and company.  
>Old records Artemis had found in the library stated that these small creatures were once fired from specialized firearms using air pressure. The speed that the creatures were fired at allowed them to transform into larger more powerful versions and each had a limited time to use this form before the new morph ran out when the required velocity dropped below the needed level.<p>

Her mind floated off towards all the snippets of information about slugs as she ran her fingers through the small bucket of slug chow. She'd never really believed the scrolls but had created her own theory that the only reason the sentient slugs worked for humans was to release the energy they had; to stop it building up and the slugs becoming too restless. Or maybe they had a debt to repay?

A sharp chirp shattered her thoughts and she glanced down to find Alp, the head slug, glaring up at her. Alp was a Tazerling, long antennas shaped like lightning bolts and zig-zag stripes of yellow, black and white streaking down his blue sides. His right antennae was missing its top half after a fight for dominance. He was bossy, demanding and easily capable of delivering short, precise electric shocks to anyone or anyslug that annoyed him. Each household had a head slug that was the undecided leader over the group of slugs living within the buildings perimeter and Alp made sure no-one forgot.  
>He was also the head slug of the neighbourhood.<br>Artemis had witnessed the fight between him and his rival, a Rammstone from the third house down the road, over who was to be the leader. Alp had barely won but he had gained the respect from all slug groups on the road.  
>But even he had to answer to the Council Slugs.<br>The two Infurnances that were irremovable from their owners shoulder. Both cloaked in hues of dazzling orange with soft bronze and yellow streaks down their backs and sides these slugs carried themselves with regal authority yet commanded a sense that they clearly deserved the titles they had.  
>The Flame of Hope: Blaze rested forever stunning on High Councillor Elinas' shoulder. Blaze was gorgeous in human standards but she was a goddess in slug standards. Artemis was sure Alp had a crush on her, which wasn't surprising. Long lashes, a smooth body and dazzling eyes this heroine was a prize desired by any male slug in the Cavern. Too bad she was loyal to Burpy and Burpy alone.<br>The Inferno of Courage: Burpy stood tall on High Councillor Elis' shoulder. This slug always had a grim expression and acted like a General. A huge corkscrewing scar ran directly over his left eye. Artemis found him terrifying with his cold gaze. That slug had seen things no human could bear.

Alp chirped again and Artemis laughed quietly, "Alright, alright. I'll feed you." She scooped out a handful of small pellets and deposited them in front of Alp who looked at the pile impassively before calling over the rest of the slugs and dividing the amounts evenly.  
>Artemis never grew tired of watching Alp work. He always seemed so busy and bossy but he always ate last and always had the smallest amount.<br>She gave him to extra pieces before she hopped in the shower as the house slowly started to wake up.

As the hot Flaringo-heated water washed over her pale skin she listened as her brother woke up loudly, the floorboards overhead creaking loudly as he stomped around.  
>There was a crash as he accidentally knocked one of his toolsets down and a few muttered curses as he bent down to pick it all up.<br>Her mother was much quieter but still Artemis could hear the creak and bang as her other opened her large wardrobe to plan what she'd be wearing for today.  
>Yet even after many years of being let down, her ears still tried to hear a sound, any sound, from her fathers room.<br>But like always, it was silent. It always was.

Her father was too busy with the Council to be home with his family.  
>Which seemed to suit the entire family well. everyone went off and did their own thing; Luke with his friends, Violet with hers and then Artemis all alone.<p>

Luke was buttering up toast as Artemis walked in with her hair bundled up in a towel and a fresh set of clothes on.  
>"Hey Hunter." Luke greeted over his shoulder.<br>Hunter was her pet name that Luke called her when they were at home together. It was ironic due to the fact that Artemis was too shy to hurt or kill anything yet Luke often joked she was planning a homicide because she was so quiet.  
>Artemis had just smiled, just like she did now.<p>

"Hey bolt-head." She replied as she made up a pot of green tea for her and her mother.  
>A hiss from down the corridor signaled that Violet was in the shower and would stay there for the duration of the morning adding all the ointments, creams and other cosmetics that she used to stay youthful and beautiful.<p>

Luke finished his making his toast and grabbed a can of Slug-Juice from the bench before disappearing into his garage to do some morning work before school cut in.  
>Artemis nodded after his over-the-shoulder wave before settling down at the table alone with a bowl of cereal; multi-coloured slug-shaped grains of frosted sugar swirled around by her spoon.<p>

Henry, the household Flopper, stuck his head over the bowls rim and waggled his back legs as he tried to get one of the floating cereal pieces.  
>Artemis smiled softly and fished out two pieces for him instead. He accepted them happily and waddled off holding one and shoving the other in his mouth.<br>Floppers were a sign of goodluck because it was hard to believe something so useless could have survived. Many people had one in their homes to try and bring fortune to their lives.

Spooning her cereal into her mouth, Artemis swept a lazy gaze over the table until it rested on the Mech-Lock sitting on the table, flashing. It was Lukes. The red and dark gray stripes were easily distinguishable.  
>Reaching over and picking it up, Artemis ran her fingers over the straight edges of the slug sized piece of technology. Shaped like a diamond with ten cut faces it was made to have been squashed in the middle so the middle face was the largest. This was the side that was flashing. A little blue light was going off. Luke had a message.<br>It was more than Artemis had ever received. She didn't have any friends on the largest social network on the . She'd never really wanted anything to do on Slug-Vine. She liked the idea that you could post messages and chat with other people online but she really didn't like what Slug-Vine was attached too.  
>Mecha-Hunters.<br>The largest game played. Statistics showed that everyone in the cavern had an account and played online. Everyone except Artemis.  
>Yes, she had an account but she never touched it. It was just there so she wasn't hunted down and bullied for not having an account. Because stuff like that happened.<p>

Mecha-Hunters was a huge game. You could design your own robotic fighting machine and then use it to socialize, battle or interact with your friends online. There was merchandise of it everywhere and there was always a newspaper article about the newest updates or latest games or challenges out. It was so big that school often held contests with real life prizes for winning a digital game.  
>You loaded your Mecha-Warrior into a holostage with the Mech-Lock and a hologram of you Warrior would appear, ready to fight with your opponent. Really good players often gave their Warriors personalities so they could trash-talk and interact with their opponents.<br>But the most talked about thing about Mecha-Hunters was the upcoming Digi-Battle. The prize was ultimate fame on Mecha-Hunters, half a million in reality cash and half a million in Mecha-Hunter currency along with the limited addition armour and weapons won in spot prizes. It was once every four years and in order to compete, people and their Mecha-Warriors had to enter a tournament every month and come in the top twenty for five months. They then competed in the yearly Digi-Qualifiers. If you passed in the top thirty you had a ticket to the Digi Battles.  
>But it wasn't only fighting. there was art, story and cosplay competitions that you could win by writing a story about, drawing or dressing up in your own Mecha-Warrior or your favourite Warrior.<br>It was a huge amount work unless you were one of the select six with a unlimited Promo-Pass.  
>How Artemis knew all this when she had no interest was beyond her.<p>

A Promo-Pass was given to the Promotional Mecha-Warriors. Warriors already created but that could be unlocked by registering their real-life counterparts model number into a box displayed on the sites homepage.  
>There was only six that were known to exist. And Artemis knew all the owners.<p>

The first was Luke. He had won DarkClaw VII in a mechanic competition. He had recieved the digital doppelganger of Elyssa Moons mecha beast. A huge grey wolf plated in spikes and blades and covered in scarred red stripes. DarkClaw used huge straight blades that protruded from his knuckles as weapons and shredded any lesser opponents. Luke couldn't stop smiling for a month when the famed NLE detective had handed over the Mech-Lock Artemis now held in her hand. He was rated number five on the scoreboard.

Below him by one point was Marcus Smith, his geeky friend who knew everything about slugs that there was to know. His Warrior was a huge T-Rex that Harper Pine had gifted him after he won a Bio-Technology contest that had entries from throughout the Three Cities. This T-rex fought with no weapons, simply relying on brute and raw strength in its feet, fists, jaws and tail. His T-rex was the best heavyweight and its doppelganger was forever frozen in the middle of Smelter.

Above Luke was A1-N. Elsas mecha beast. Elsa Shane was an over-protective, jealous little beast that roamed the school Artemis attended. She was highly protective of her older brother and wouldn't let him date anyone except Emma. She knew everything about everyone thanks to her best friend Kite Young and wasn't below using it as blackmail. Generally speaking, she was a huge bitch in Artemis' eyes. Her Warrior reflected that perfectly. A tall and wiry feline robot with a pair of large antler adorning his head. He had a special power-up that allowed him flight and A1-N used the opportunity ruthlessly, striking heavy blows with his giant scythe that was his chosen weapon.

As much to Artemis' glee (and Elsas' disgust) she was only number four. Number three belonged to the Neon Twins. Since both of their Mecha Hunters were digital versions of their real Mecha-Beasts these two worked as a tag-team. Both playing at the exact same time and together. Balancing each other out in battle was their strategy and they were nearly unbeatable. They were lucky their beasts were so powerful as they often were too busy with NLE to answer battle requests but were still able to keep their place.

But only two players had actually beaten them. The boy of Artemis' dreams and the girl of her nightmares.  
>Emmaline Walker and Jacob Shane.<p>

Artemis gave a small squee as she pictured Jacobs face in her mind. Strong and defiant, he had gorgeous looks. Strong features that made his face the mirror image of his father, the Honorable Eli Shane. His grey eyes were always semi-hidden behind loose strands of dark blonde hair that peeked out from under his black beanie. His hair always seemed to be ruffled in the most attractive of ways.

His girlfriend was in a league of her own though.  
>With a body build that was normally seen on the covers of fashion magazines, Emma Walkerline had soft brown hair that swept down her neck and over her shoulders. She was in the school track team and had the legs to prove it. She had the softest shade of blue for eyes and flawless skin. Long nails perfectly manicured, lips always had a slight sheen and she wore as little make-up as possible. She was the envision of perfection.<br>And Artemis despised her.

She believed that Emma was so skilled with make-up, she could pull off the natural, all flawless look but underneath the layers of cosmetics she had an ugly face, blotched with red and covered in acne scars. Her supermodel body was only achieved through drugs and unhealthy eating disorders and her hair was fake, a wig made to hide the hair disease that she had; one that caused your hair to sprout out unevenly, a sickly yellow all greasy, dirty and patched. And the soft shade for eyes?. They were contacts or some type of evil drug that she took, maybe a side effect for keeping the slim body.

"Oh, hey. I have a message!" Her brothers vice pushed her thoughts away and she watched as he leaned over and picked up the Mech-Lock and flipped it open, eyes skimming the message.  
>"Aw-yeah!" He crowed, snapping the scratched device shut, "Looks like someone has a duel with Gunner! I'll smash his ass for sure this time!" Luke fist pumped, grinning wildly.<p>

He then turned to Artemis, "You'll see! Me and DarkClaw will shred him and his silly hyena!" He then ran off to his room, bubbling with excitement at the thought of beating an up and coming Mecha-Hunter who had been threatening his ranking.  
>Artemis watched him go before emptying the remainders of her breakfast into the sink and gathering her small school bag.<br>She had a small faded grey school bag that carried her books, stationery and her laptop.

Half listening to Luke stomp around upstairs; she waved goodbye to the slugs and walked into the garage promptly taking a seat on Lukes mech tiger that he had patched up.  
>Or together.<br>Their dad had given Luke access to a small section of the scrapyards that lay in the furthest region of the cavern. Past the thick forests that fringed Trixie and Smelter lay the rotting, rusting towers of scrapped metals that rumours said to be inhabited by robot-creatures. Luke had salvaged all different parts of from the very front of the metal wasteland, forbidden to search farther than the view of the fence for safety reasons.  
>All the junk he gathered he used in his workshop, upgrading, building and rarely inventing a huge manner of things.<p>

Sometimes, for history projects, Luke would rebuild machines from the illustrations from the books in the library.  
>Artemis liked those times because he'd always come to her for help finding and choosing; considering that to him 'she knew everything in every book in the library'.<p>

Lost in thought, she didn't even hear Luke come in until the mech beast jerked with him taking a seat.  
>"Comfy, sis?" He asked, his two slugs squeaking on his shoulders.<p>

Artemis looked over her shoulder at him, smiling and nodding, "Yes."

"Right then! Off we go!" Luke revved up his tiger mech and it leapt forward instantly on well-greased gyros.

Artemis held on tight to the handlebars as she sat on the back of the mech, facing the receding house.  
>Morning light filtered through the canopy of trees that surrounded their driveway, yet the light grew brighter as the trees thinned out and they hit the main road.<br>The road wasn't full but there were plenty of people walking and riding along the road.  
>Luke weaved in and out of the crowds, racing towards the main highway leading out Sasha all the way to Trixie.<br>Halfway along the road was a huge building: The Slugterra Academy.

Artemis shivered as the mech beast pulled in through the wrought iron gates and into the large shadow that the old building cast on the schoolyard in the front.

Luke parked up in the mech car park as multicoloured students filtered past, all heading into the large double-doored school building.

Artemis disembarked, shrinking backwards and jabbing her side on the mech as two  
>Shadow Breeds walked past, chatting to one another and tossing their green tipped-black hair over their shoulders. Long winding green marking ran up their arms and their irisis gleamed with an unearthly green light.<p>

Shadow Breeds were the result of a Shadowclan and a human having a child. Human bodies yet with Shadowclan traits and abilities.  
>They were highly considered in society since the scientists had proved that they were one of the huge factors in keeping the Cavern 'clean'.<br>Whatever that meant.

Luke had disappeared: Artemis spotted him through the throng of students talking with Marcus, his friend.

Tightening her hold on her bags strap, she slipped into the shadows, avoiding the really dark shadows that were left dark so Shadow Breeds could teleport, and sticking to the light grey ones.  
>Slowly she slipped inside the school building, heading to her form class to wait out the rest of the morning.<br>Her subjects ran in the same order:  
>Form<br>Science  
>Math<br>Interval  
>History<br>English  
>Lunch<br>Biology  
>Archiving<p>

History, Bio and Archiving were her choices while Math, Science and English were the three mandatory subjects.

Science was first and Artemis received back a test on Cavern ecosystems with an average B.  
>Pleased with her score she smiled.<br>Until she heard Emmas score. A+

"Of course" She muttered, sighing as she watched Jake give Emmas hand a little 'congrats' squeeze.  
>The two were in every class except Archiving and Biology. Only Emma was in Biology. Jake had taken Blaster-Tech for some absurd reason.<p>

Blasters were taboo except for the reality show stars that used them for tricks and displays.  
>You needed several special permits to even hold one, let alone own one. And you needed to bring in your papers to the Council every fortnight for checks.<br>Plus there were huge regulations for conditions the blaster had to be kept in.  
>Locked securely (securely meant un-rob-able), maintained daily, owner and slinger must have full knowledge of the weapon they are using and can only fire three species of slugs: Fandangos, Floppers and Phosphoros.<p>

Math was slightly better. Artemis watched as Emma answered a question wrong, one that Artemis had answered correctly.  
>She'd almost piped up and answered the question herself.<br>Except she didn't want to gain Elsas fury.  
>even though Elsa was a year below Emma and Artemis, she had a way of finding out anything negative that happened to Emma. And fixing it.<p>

At interval, Artemis disappeared into the school library.  
>Mrs Horman was manning the desk and she nodded to Artemis as she stopped at the desk.<br>"Hello Artemis. You're exactly on time. Like usual." Mrs Horman didn't look up as she passed Artemis the restricted area keys.

"Thank you miss." Artemis replied quietly, taking the keys and holding them all in her fist to stop them jingling. The noise would seem out of place in the quiet library.

Artemis took the keys and hurried past into the rest of the library. The library itself wasn't very big, it had only two columns of six shelves all stacked loosely with books.  
>Artemis had read them all and thanks to her frequency and Archiving Class, the librarians had allowed her to access the few restricted books in the back.<p>

Artemis was in the middle of reading 'The Timeline of Slugterra'.  
>The information inside was filled with gems but the book itself was in terrible condition.<br>Pages were torn, parts of the timeline had been scribbled, blacked out or defiled and many dates and important events.  
>Most of the defiling was near the back of the book, on the timeline that was closest to the present day. 100 years in the past it was.<br>Almost everything but key words had been blacked out.  
>Artemis ran her eyes over the words left untouched.<br>**Eli Shane, Elina, Shae, saved, safety, precaution, protect, sacrificed, evil, gang.**

She sighed as she read over blacked out parts of history looked like something Artemis would read in a story about a dictator trying to destroy the past to stop his country from seeing different from his view.  
>But this was real life! That type of stuff didn't happen in the Real world because people would stop the evil dictator.<p>

The bell ending interval sounded. Artemis jumped and banged her elbow. Whimpering with pain she shut and locked the door, returned the keys and headed to her favourite subject: History.  
>Over the past week, her history class had been studying the small remnants of the previous civilization that lived in the cavern.<br>By finding heroic mech-beast statues or remainders and designing a story to fit in with their current state and all history about them.  
>Their latest one was to check out B00M3R; an ex-councillors mecha beast that leapt in Trixie city centre.<br>The whole class was excited for this as Boomer was the famous Mecha-Hunter Battle presenter. He appeared at the start of every battle welcoming viewers and sighting up the combatants before pitting them against one another. He was the fairest ref there was, able to stop the fight if he sensed hacks were used or if the balance of the fighters was unnatural.  
>And also the fact that a class trip to Trixie seemed highly likely.<p>

Artemis was buzzing with excitement as the teacher handed out permission slips for the trip as the period ended.

"Remember class!" The molenoid shouted over the bell , "Research the history of Trixie and those who want extra credit, try and tailor your own history on a mecha beast you know of!"

Artemis waited until most students had left before joining the throng in the hallways. She quickly folded up the slip and pushed it deep down in her jean pockets, dodging a Shadow Breed that appeared out of nowhere and then ducking as a large troll swung around after hearing his name called.  
>She scurried past as the troll recognised his friend and shouted out his name, causing several students to cover the ears.<p>

The english room door was a metre away. There was nothing that could go wrong.

Whoops.

Artemis forze as Elsa Shane and her best friend Kite Young walked in front of Artemis, who had to stop abruptly to avoid bumping into them.  
>Artemis held her breath as she wobbled at the sudden stop.<br>Slowly she gained her balance and let out a sigh of relief.

"What do you think you're doing?"  
>Artemis froze as Elsa walked up to her with a wicked smile…<br>And continued walking past her, to the girl behind her.  
>Artemis scurried off as Elsas voice grew louder, reprimanding the girl for whatever she did.<br>Artemis slipped into English as the final bell rang.

"Does everyone have their descriptive writing?' The teacher asked, a middle-aged Felim, a human with feline traits such as pointed ears, flat noses, slit eyes or claw-like nails.

The class gave a mixed murmur from those that had it, those that had done it and forgotten it and those that didn't do it at all.  
>Artemis pulled out her descriptive writing and put it on her desk.<br>She had written about the small clearing behind her house, the clearing where Blacky lived.

The teacher was collecting up papers and marking down those who didn't have theirs with them.  
>Artemis watched as her paper was enveloped in a green light and floated towards the teacher. Hers and the rest of the the classes collected in a small pile as the teacher marked the role and listed the names of the students without their assignments.<br>The rest of the class was the teacher going back over descriptive writing features and techniques.  
>Artemis doodled boredly on her book, watching as other students tapped away on Mech-Locks, passed notes and talked quietly.<p>

The bell rang after what seemed like eternity and Artemis left the class, following the flow of students to the cafeteria.  
>She had only just lined up to get the daily meal when a large commotion broke out in the middle of the cafeteria and students instantly moved into large circle.<p>

Artemis watched as Luke stepped forward, holding his mech-Lock casually before tossing it up in the air and catching it deftly.  
>Another boy stepped forward: Gunner.<p>

He held a yellow and ochre Mech-Lock in one hand, flicking it open and spinning it.

A grey disk was thrown out in between them: a combat clip.  
>One of the many combat clips students carried in their bags so that they could holo-battle at any time, anywhere. This one had the common signature of a green skull: it was one of Lingus's ones. Lingus always had the latest model of combat clips and always carried at least three around in his bag.<br>He also only launched his when one of the top Hunters were battling.

Both boys stopped still as a holographic screen expanded out of the clip.  
>The loading icon, a rotating line of all seven Council Mechs icons, spun around for a few seconds, allowing the players to connect.<p>

The 'VS' word flashed across the screen and the two usernames of Gunner and Luke appeared on the top of the screen.

B7ad3DH3r0 vs Gunnermutt480.

The blue pixel background slowly grew brighter as a line of light raced downwards from the top, causing the two Mecha Hunters to be revealed.  
>GunnerMutt was a large, yellow and brown hyena with dented and rough armor and a huge battle hammer that seemed to be half hammer, half axe.<br>The metal snout was creased into a wicked grin and sickly yellow eyes glared out from under the torn helmet. Metal cables twisted around his arms like bulging muscles restrained under battered gauntlets and armor.  
>A huge, multi barreled gun was it's chosen weapon, held with both clawed hands and with extra ammunition strapped around it's chest.<br>"_HAHAHAHA!" _The hyena roared as it fired a round of bullets at the crowd.  
>The crowd of students roared their enthusiasm.<p>

DarkClaw came next. A huge hunched over wolf slowly unfurled itself, revealing a sharp muzzle, nicked ears and glowering red eyes.  
>DarkClaw slowly straightened up, fists bunched and glaring down his nose at the hyena.<br>Even though Dark Claw was just bigger, his build made him appear much stronger than the hyena.

Bunched legs ready to pounce, a bushy tail made out of knives, and toned arms and legs. Thick armor plated chest and forehead, long curved claws and a blade sticking out at the edge of every individual plating piece.

The crowd of students cheered even louder as DarkClaw threw back his head and howled out a mournful wail from between his two long tusks.

Luke and Gunner shook hands and the battle commenced.

The famous face of Boomer appeared next to the words 'FIGHT!"

The boys stepped back as the holographic screen widened until the holographic projections of the mecha-Hunters feet could touch the cafeteria floor and the quality of the image became so good, the two robots could've been mistaken for actual living things.

The watching crowd held their breath as the two robots took up starting tances, evenly balanced, facing side on and legs bent ready to move.  
>The famous music that played was rising to it's peak, the notes getting higher and higher and higher….<p>

_ZZZZOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM_

"FIGHT!" Boomer roared from between the two before leaping up and out of the way of the first round of bullets fired by GunnerMutt.  
>Artemis glanced at Gunner, who was holding his Mech-Lock tightly as he controlled GunnerMutt.<p>

Luke easily flicked his thumb, causing DarkClaw to roll out of the way of the bullet spray.  
>Another couple of swipes and DarkClaw was on his feet and charging at GunnerMutt with long curved blades spiking out of his knuckles.<br>Artemis watched with a feeling of awe bubbling in her stomach as Luke made DarkClaw leap and strike downwards with a spiked fist.  
>One hit dropped GunnerMutts health down from 1500 to 340.<br>The roundhouse punch finished him off, dealing a huge 2000 damage.

Artemis watched as Gunner cursed and threw down his Mech-Lock as DarkClaw gave another victory howl.

The crowd all cheered as Lukes username was highlighted in gold and Boomer stepped forward holding a glowing golden light in his hands.  
>He looked up and directly at Luke, "Congratulations for your win!"<br>He slowly released the light which raced towards DarkClaw and swirled around him, raising his experience bar and amount of Mechus, the currency for the online game.

DarkClaw let out one last victory howl before the screen disappeared and the crowd dispersed.

Even when Artemis had grabbed her lunch, she still couldn't shake the feeling of awe she witnessed everytime she watched Luke battle.  
>DarkClaw was crazy powerful. His defense was low for a Council-Hunter but he compared to the normal Mecha-Hunters with his strength; he was unstoppable.<br>Part of her wished she had a Mecha-Hunter that good. But anyone at her age who was really into Mecha-Hunters at her age would be tens of levels above her. it was just to embarrassing.  
>Then she would know what it was really like to be in that much power.<br>The Mecha-Hunters made up half of the power and popularity a person had.  
>To be that powerful was something that Artemis craved; to be noticed was something she didn't.<br>if she was ever to be that powerful, she would have to find the seventh Council-Hunter. But it's only clue was the black circle in the loading logo. The one at the very end with the silhouette of a dragon in the crossfire.

After school, Artemis decided to skip the library and start on her history essay. She had to catch a public wagon as Luke was heading off into town with Jake, Mark and all his other friends.  
>She was in luck that the wagon was pulled by a classic hyena. The ones pulled by bulls were always slower.<br>The wagon wasn't badly crowded and Artemis hopped off at the Council stop, happy to walk to her house in the warm afternoon.

She arrived at her empty home and continued walking along the little pathway that led to her private little grove.

Bright warm light flickered over her as she pushed her way delicately through the loose ferns and bushes towards the circular piece of paradise.  
>As Artemis emerged into the small clearing, she stopped and stood at the edge, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.<p>

The clearing was a fantasy painting of greens. The ground under her feet was a carpet of sparkling soft green moss that would be a perfect pillow. The clearing was bordered by swooping Tillows: tall trees whose branches would stretch out far and intertwine with neighbouring trees. They had long strands of flexible new branches that would fall down once the older branches had met another tree. These branches had small diamond shaped leaves that made a thick curtain of protection.  
>At the roots of the trees were small, moss-covered boulders and sarsens that ranged from small to big. Each one had smooth, unmarked surfaces that was covered in the soft moss.<br>Others had perfectly round holes that small ferns and vines had taken root in and sprouted from.  
>A small river streamed from under one of the larger rocks that was flanked by two smaller ones, seemingly attached to the side. And all covered in green moss.<br>The river was clear and pure and Artemis had been delighted to find that there were little blue flecks of pure energy swimming in the river when the sun was at the perfect angle.

The river had been what had led Artemis to Blacky when she was little.  
>Happily playing in it, she had spotted a spark much larger than the normal ones and had followed it down the river. She had nearly caught it until it jumped up and into an overhanging rock. Or what artemis had thought was a rock.<br>Upon further inspection, Artemis found that it was a mech!  
>An elegantly posed yet slightly misshapen mech that had been frozen in a drinking pose.<br>It's head was arched down to the river, mouth open slightly as if it was about to take a drink.  
>One hoof was forward and resting on a smooth rock covered in a thick carpet of green lichen.<br>The other was placed solidly on the concrete plinth the horse stood upon.  
>The plinth was also covered in the invasive moss which had subsequently crept up and covered the horses complete body.<br>The mech was completely covered in a soft coat of green moss. Long strands of plant material had sprouted from in between it's ridiculously long ears and swept down, hiding the entirety of the mechs face until only the slightly open mouth was visible; which was also covered in the same plant material as everything else below ankle level.  
>Artemis often snuggled up on the stone plinth, leaning her head against the mech horses leg while she did her homework. It was on a day she had slipped after dozing off slightly had she scratched off some of the moss, revealing the horses name.<p>

"Hey Blacky." She smiled as she walked into the clearing.  
>Her fingers ran over his soft mossy pelt. Even though she'd been doing it for ten years, the moss seemed brand new.<br>She had discovered this place when she was seven and had never forgotten it.  
>Blacky was her caring friend. Blacky was her caring family.<p>

Taking a seat, she pulled out her History book and her laptop. She'd guessed that they'd have to do a history of Boomer as soon as their teacher mentioned that they were heading to Trixie so she didn't have to worry about starting that. It was already done.

But she did, however, want the extra credit. Her History marks were average but she wasn't sure if they were enough.

Flicking open her laptop, she connected to the SlugNet and stretched her fingers, "Right, buddy. Let's see what the world know about you."

Opening up the search engine she typed in Blackys model number.  
>"B..L...K..Y. That was it." She smiled, "No way I could forget that!"<p>

The results popped up and she frowned. There was nothing of relevance. Just some clothing brands and newspaper articles that contained the same letters. Oh and some wiki of capital letters.

"Ugh, nothing." She snorted as she typed in some keywords describing the area.  
>'Round smooth boulders. Green moss'. Nothing relevant again.<br>She tried several times before thumping the laptop in anger, "Why can't I find anything about you?" She muttered.

There was a small hum from the mech and Artemis smiled softly, 'You're right. I should keep trying. Giving up never helped anyone."

Another hum.

"I guess I should recheck your model number, hmm?" Artemis listened to the next hum. even though she had no idea what the mech was saying, it was nice to imagine he was encouraging her and giving her advice.  
>It was the same way she knew Blacky was a boy. She had no hard evidence, it was just….knowing.<p>

She leaned backwards as far as she could and scrubbed her hand hard over the area of his leg that she remembered the model number was on.  
>Although the moss was hard to get off, the numbers came into shape of a dark green surface.<br>BLK y

"Oh! It's a little 'y'. That makes sense." Artemis was surprised. How had she not remembered that?  
>Maybe because Luke was always talking about model numbers of mechs.<p>

She shrugged the thought off and keyed the model number in.  
>Once again, there were no relevant results although, strangely enough, a Mecha-Hunters ad popped up in full screen. Artemis flinched as the theme song started playing and the pilot video started playing. It was one of the most watched videos of the SlugNet.<br>The reason being? It had the only known appearance of the Seventh Council-Hunter. It wasn't much to go for but a black screen showing two blue eyes slowly opening was enough to start speculations. There was also the large shadow in the background as the found six posed behind the title but that had been brushed off by all but the craziest people.  
>Even though the Council had denied any knowledge of the Seventh, it was a famous urban myth.<p>

Except this video was different. Sure it started off the same but as Artemis watched the video seemed to get darker. the video was the exact same animation in the exact same progression of scenes yet there was something off.  
>It was halfway through when Artemis decided to start screen-filming.<br>Nothing was out of the ordinary in the video. It went in the same order, although when the Seventh Council Hunter appeared, Artemis's computer hummed loudly and the screen flickered with static and the video froze.  
>Artemis blinked and leaned backwards, "What?"<br>She gingerly clicked twice and the video restarted again, playing straight from the beginning.  
>The video faded to black and the red words appeared slowly.<p>

_Build your Hunter. Battle Your Friends. Defeat your enemies.  
>Become a Mecha-Hunter<em>

A shiver ran through Artemis's spine as the video disappeared and the 'Join Now' Button appeared on the Mecha-Hunter ad.  
>Turning off the screen-filming, she moved her mouse to leave the browser.<br>An uneasy feeling settled in her stomach as she closed her laptop and stood up.

A soft breeze washed through the darkening clearing.  
>Artemis pulled her jacket around her and stroked Black, "Sorry, Blacky. I have to go. It's getting cold."<br>She ran her fingers through his beautiful green mane and wished she could stay with him forever. He was silent now.

"Later." She whispered as she walked off, over the soft moss and into the concealed path that lead to her house.

Blacky watched her go, his silent moan dashed by the breeze. 


End file.
